2 New Bedford schools get technology upgrade

NEW BEDFORD— The Elwyn G. Campbell and Abraham Lincoln Elementary schools have received new iPads, laptops, and a new computer-based reading program this year.

CAROL KOZMA

NEW BEDFORD— The Elwyn G. Campbell and Abraham Lincoln Elementary schools have received new iPads, laptops, and a new computer-based reading program this year.

"Students are so excited about having the iPads," said Lina DeJesus, principal at the Lincoln school.

The funds that enabled the Friends Academy's Center for Innovation Education to give technology upgrades to the schools came from Kate and Al Merck.

Friends Academy opened the center with a $672,000 grant it received from the Mercks, Ben Parsons, the executive director at the center wrote in an email.

The center partnered first with the Hayden-McFadden Elementary School and expanded to the other two schools this year after it received an additional $180,000 from the Mercks.

"What we are trying to do is empower teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms to improve student outcomes," Parsons said.

Colleen Dawicki at The Urban Initiative received $25,000 from Lucile Hicks, a board member at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, to head a rigorous evaluation of the center's program, which Parsons said he hopes to use for more grant funding.

Lisa Andrade, principal at the Campbell school, said the school received a computer lab with 30 computers, the Lexia program, a computer-based reading program and an IPad cart with 30 iPads. Teachers received laptops and each classroom now has three computers and a color printer. The school has also become wireless.

DeJesus said the Lincoln school received one iPad cart with 30 iPads and she added the school already had laptops, a computer lab, and has been wireless.

DeJesus said she has seen a direct correlation between student growth and the Lexia program both schools use.

"The more (teachers) used it, the more beneficial it was to their students, and we saw the growth," DeJesus said.

The program "allows a teacher with a large class of 28 students to differentiate their instructions," so English Language Learners or remedial readers can go at their own pace and an advanced student can go faster, all within the same classroom, Parsons said.

Through the program, teachers have also been taking the Wide World Course offered through the Harvard Graduate School of Education to learn how to bring technology into their classrooms.

"It's not an easy class. It's done voluntarily (by teachers). It's above and beyond what their daily requirements are," Andrade said, who is also taking the seven weeks-long course.

Parsons said he was amazed at the teacher's willingness to join the program.

"(Teachers) wanted to do it," Parsons said. "They're extremely conscientious about their teaching, they want to improve."

Parsons said he hopes to extend the program to another four elementary schools next year, although the schools have not yet been identified.

He plans to meet with Superintendent Pia Durkin next week, he said.

Durkin called the program "a fabulous initiative."

"We are very pleased with the number of teachers who have bought into this," she said.

The following story was modified on Monday, March 24, 2014, to reflect the following:

The funds that enabled the Friends Academy's Center for Innovation Education to give technology upgrades to the Elwyn G. Campbell and Abraham Lincoln Elementary schools came from Kate and Al Merck. The story appeared in Saturday's paper.